CCMAR Seminars by Heather Marco & Gerd Gäde
29th OCT | 13:30 | Room 1.39 - Building 7
The GnRH superfamily in arthropods and molluscs
Heather Marco & Gerd Gäde
Abstract
The notion of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone superfamily arose shortly before 2020. A cluster of peptides/receptors identified in invertebrates share a common origin with vertebrate GnRHs and their receptors: GnRH (stimulates the pituitary of vertebrates to release gonadotropins), AKH/RPCH (stimulates insect metabolism, and pigment translocation in decapod crustaceans), Crz (a cardio-stimulant in cockroaches), ACP, and invertebrate GnRH. Comparative structure and function will be discussed.
Bio
Heather Marco is trained in developmental biology and neuroendocrinology at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Postdoc in Hamburg, held a tenured academic position (Dept. Biological Sciences) at UCT. Editor: Sci Rep, Gen Comp Endocrinol. NRF rated. Humboldt Fellow.
Gerd Gäde is a PhD (1975) in Germany, Full Professorship since 1989 in Cape Town/South Africa. Heisenberg Fellow. Mercator Professor. NRF A-rated. Metabolic regulation of invertebrates. Physiology. Biochemistry. Endocrinology.











